Souls' Rescue Part 3

EXHAUSTION ALLOWED KELLY to sleep until the next morning. The smell of bacon brought her out of bed and into the kitchen. Kelly noticed the array of food on the table and wondered if they were having guests over for breakfast. A full plate of bacon, scrambled eggs piled high with a stack of toast beside them was enough for the whole firehouse. "Ma, you know-"

"You're probably hungry so I figured I'd make you a decent breakfast. I took off work for a few days so I can make sure you relax."

"I'm going to the hospital today."

"Why? Is something wrong?" Her mother sounded so anxious that Kelly let out a sigh.

"No, no. Ma, sit down, please." Kelly waited for Marina to settle into her chair. "I want to visit Talia. I need to make sure she's okay."

"She's stable."

"How do you know?"

"Because Scott called while you were asleep. He figured you'd want to know." Marina waved at Kelly's empty plate. "Now eat before your breakfast gets cold."

Kelly loaded up her plate, though she didn't feel so hungry. All she could think about was Talia. Would she be okay? Would she lose her leg? Would she even remember Kelly when she woke up? The stress of the injuries and trauma often wiped people's memories. It hurt to think that Talia wouldn't remember her. What would Kelly do then?

She must have been picking at her food because Marina took the fork out of her hand. "What?" Kelly asked.

"Exactly. Tell me what's going on in that head of yours."

"I was just thinking about Talia." Kelly leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. "I can't explain it, Ma. I just need to see for myself that she's okay."

"You went through a h.e.l.lish experience with her. You don't need to explain anything." Marina smoothed back Kelly's hair. "Just promise me something."

"What?"

"Don't fall for her."

"What?" Kelly straightened in her chair. "Ma, she's just a patient."

"I know that look in your eyes, Kelly Marie. You be careful. I don't want you getting hurt again."

She was talking about Janine, and Kelly groaned. That woman was the worst mistake she'd ever made. As buddies they were okay. As lovers they were dynamite...as in explosive and dangerous. "I'll be careful."

"Good. Now finish your breakfast."

KELLY STOOD AT the corner window and let out a deep breath, her shoulders sagging. She'd been in the hospital room all day, watching over Talia who laid so still, her brown skin mottled with cuts and bruises. The monitors a.s.sured her that Talia's vital signs were stable, but didn't explain why she hadn't yet awakened.

The doctor said Talia might be slow to come out of the anesthetic after the long surgery. Or she could have slipped into a coma so her body could heal itself. The body could be amazing in that respect.

The bed and its wounded occupant were reflected into the window from which Kelly peered. She asked herself again why she was at this woman's side. A woman she didn't know. A woman with whom she had no connection.

No, that last part wasn't true. She felt a connection with Talia. Kelly couldn't explain it, but something in her gut kept her there, patiently waiting for her to wake up.

She turned from the window and stood next to the bed to take another look at the woman who had been trapped beneath the truck.

Talia carried several pounds more than necessary, a fact that may have saved her life. She was a big woman, very tall, with black hair that curled around full cheeks. Kelly brushed her fingers across Talia's forehead, pus.h.i.+ng her bangs back. The skin felt warm. She moved her hand to Talia's. She thought for a moment that Talia gripped back, but it was only her imagination.

"I don't know what it is about you, Talia Stoddard, but I have a feeling we're going to be stuck with one other. I hope you don't mind having a new friend."

Kelly squeezed her hand a little, released it and sat in the chair beside the bed. She leaned her arms against the rail and said, "I'll be here when you wake up."

TWENTY-FOUR HOURS had never seemed so long to Kelly. Maybe because it was her first s.h.i.+ft back from injury leave. Or maybe it was because she couldn't keep her mind off a certain woman lying in a hospital room across town. At the end of her s.h.i.+ft, Kelly walked out of the fire station and squinted against the bright morning sun.

She wanted to check on Talia. A nurse friend of Kelly's had made sure she was kept up to date on Talia's condition, but Kelly felt something tugging inside to see for herself. She wanted to touch Talia's hand and know she was okay.

Kelly slung her overnight bag over her shoulder and headed for the parking lot. She had parked farther away than usual and noticed someone was standing near her car. As she got closer, Kelly recognized who it was and her stomach clenched. A blonde woman, stunning in her sleeveless, form fitting, t-s.h.i.+rt, and very short shorts, leaned on the hood. The humid morning air had brought a sheen of sweat to Kelly's brow, and she swiped it away with the back of her hand. Of course, the heat wasn't the only thing making her sweat.

Kelly paused in front of the door of Talia's hospital room to adjust the collar on her teal golf s.h.i.+rt. She brushed off some invisible lint, glanced at the small bouquet of wildflowers held in the crook of her left arm, and pushed the door open.

Quiet steps brought her to Talia's bedside. She placed the flowers in the empty vase on the nightstand and turned her attention to the woman on the bed. Tubes and wires attached to strategic points on her body, all of them monitoring her vital functions and rea.s.suring Kelly that Talia was still alive. She glanced up at the monitor to her right.

"Sinus rhythm," she muttered. "Good to see your heart is working well." Kelly looked over the rest of the numbers on the monitor, satisfied Talia was stable. "Still not awake I see."

Kelly pulled a chair close to the bed and sat, her left hand covering Talia's. "I was hoping you'd be up and about today. It's been almost a week, ya know?"

She brushed a few strands of dark hair off Talia's face. "But I guess your body needs the time to heal." Kelly brought the hand to her lips and placed a soft kiss across the knuckles. "I know you can hear me, so I'm going to tell you to hurry up and get better. I'd love the chance to see those gorgeous eyes again."

The creak of the door startled Kelly, and she whirled around in her seat. An older woman walked in. She was tall, her skin the color of chocolate, and her piercing gaze made Kelly nervous.

"Are you a friend of Talia's?"

"Oh, I-uh..." Kelly stood, releasing her hold on Talia's hand. "Sort of."

"Sort of?" The woman approached the bed. "Either you are or you aren't. Which is it?"

Kelly melted under the woman's intense gaze. She sat in the chair Kelly had just vacated as though she were the queen of the hospital and the seat was her throne. "I'm a friend, though we haven't known each other long."

"Do you work with her?"

"No, ma'am. I was-I'm part of the team of firefighters who pulled her out from under the truck and all the rubble ." The woman remained eerily silent, and Kelly sensed that was bad. "I've been checking on her progress-to see how she's-"

"You were there?" The woman's eyes were so intense Kelly couldn't look away. "You were there when my daughter was almost killed?"

Her words felt like an accusation, and Kelly didn't know how to react. "Well, no. I arrived afterwards. I was one of the first ones there-"

"Why didn't you get her out in time?" Her gaze never wavered, pinning Kelly in place.

"We did get her out in time."

"Not good enough." She reached out and put Talia's hand into her own. "She's my only daughter and, because of you, I may lose her."

"No, please, that's not true. The doctors say she'll come out of this."

"No thanks to you." Mrs. Stoddard turned away from Kelly to gaze at her daughter.

Kelly's throat went dry. "Mrs. Stoddard? I have your name right, don't I?"

Her only response was a single nod.

"There wasn't anything more that could have been done. Our team extricated Talia as quickly as possible. You have to understand-"

"I don't have to understand anything. Now please leave."

"I-"

"Now." Mrs. Stoddard's stern voice left Kelly no options. She turned on her heel and left the room. Once in the hallway, she leaned against the wall and let out a deep breath.

Chapter Six.

KELLY EASED THROUGH the front door of the house, hoping not to wake her mother. Marina was a light sleeper and got cranky when she worked third s.h.i.+ft at McAfferty's Grocery and got home at eight a.m. Kelly only got two steps into the foyer before she heard her mother's voice.

"Where have you been? It's nearly three o'clock in the afternoon. I know you got off s.h.i.+ft at seven because I called the station." Marina stood at the end of the foyer, her pink cotton robe wrapped tightly around her. "Why didn't you call?"

"I didn't think about it. I had a lot on my mind." She dropped her keys on the entryway table and walked the few steps to her mother. "I'm sorry."

Marina narrowed her eyes. "You know how I worry, Kelly Marie."

"Ma, please." Kelly gave her a quick hug and slipped past to head for the kitchen. "I really don't want to have a fight with you right now."

"Who's fighting?" Marina spun around to follow Kelly, shooing her from the refrigerator. "Sit down. I'll fix you something decent to eat."

"Thanks," Kelly said. She lowered herself to a chair at the yellow table. Her fingers idly traced one of the many orange and red flowers that decorated the Formica top. She didn't hear her mother's comment. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"I asked if you went to the hospital today." Marina placed a steaming plate of food in front of Kelly. "Did you talk to Talia?"

"No. Well, sort of." Kelly said. Her mother waited patiently for more information. "Her mother showed up."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Kelly shrugged, pus.h.i.+ng around the food on her plate with her fork. "I was sitting with Talia. She's not awake yet, and I was talking to her. I brought her flowers."

"That's sweet, darling, but it doesn't tell me much." Marina leaned forward and placed her hand over the hand Kelly was using to play with her food. "What did Talia's mother say to you?"

"She doesn't think we got Talia freed soon enough. She blames us-me-for her daughter being unconscious."

"And how were you supposed to get her out any faster?" Marina asked. "It took almost two hours."

"Yeah. I would have told her that, but she'd just have gotten more p.i.s.sed. She didn't give me a chance to explain that if we'd gone any faster, the whole thing could have come down on her and me."

"Not an option."

"I know." Kelly looked up at Marina. "She made me feel like it was my fault. I've run that rescue in my head over and over, Ma. I can't think of anything we could have done differently."

"You sound so much like your father." Marina patted her daughter's shoulder. "He always did that, but he rarely found anything that he could have done differently, not anything that would have changed the outcome. You all got her out alive. You did what you were supposed to do. You can't control if she survives, and G.o.d willing she will. Ignore her mother. She's wrong."

"That's so easy to say."

"Even easier to do. Stop thinking about what you could have done, Kelly Marie. You did your job, and that's that. Now tell me the real reason you keep going to see Talia."

"I go see her because I'm curious about her recovery. I remind myself that she's going to make it. You know we hardly ever get to find out how our patients do in the long run."

"Uh huh," Marina said. "I'd buy that if I didn't know you. You've got enough contacts at the hospital that you could call any time and find out how she's doing. I want the truth. Are you interested in her?"

"Ma!"

"Don't 'Ma' me. You're interested. Is she pretty?"

"What? No. I mean, she's not especially pretty, I guess. Overweight. And how the h.e.l.l could I be interested in her?" Kelly was protesting despite the fact that she felt the telltale blush on her cheeks. "I don't know anything about this woman. She's a patient of mine."

"A patient you spent nearly two extremely stressful hours with. You can't expect me to believe you didn't talk to her." Marina got up to get some coffee. "You're my daughter, after all. You may be a lot like your father, Kelly Marie, but when it comes to talking, you're my kid all the way."

"Oh, geez." Kelly buried her face in her hands. "I got to like her, sure. But that's it. I seriously want to see how she does. That's it."

"Sure. No problem." Marina took her cup of coffee and headed out of the kitchen. On the way, she patted Kelly's head. "I've got night s.h.i.+ft again tonight. Be a good girl and finish your food. It's your turn to do the dishes."

Chapter Seven.

TALIA HEARD VOICES, but her eyes refused to open and her mouth would not speak. She could make her fingers twitch, but her whole body seemed to ignore any brain command to move. Fuzzy-headed and exhausted, she couldn't tell if she was dreaming or not.

"When will my daughter awaken?"

That voice pierced the haze. Why was her mother here?

A man replied in a calm voice, "We aren't sure, Mrs. Stoddard. At this point it's up to Talia. When her body has healed enough-"

"What about her leg?" Colette Stoddard launched into a high-pitched voice that was more like a screech. The sound hurt Talia's ears. "How long will the recovery be?"

"It's hard to say right now. We have to make sure Talia heals from the surgery. Your daughter has been through a lot. We had to remove her spleen and repair her left kidney."

"No thanks to that maniac in the truck. I'm glad he's dead."